Guest Bio

"The Voice" Contestant Sings the Truth

The 700 Club

CBN.com
FROM CHURCH TO HOLLYWOOD
Anthony Evans, son of mega church pastor Tony Evans, became a Christian when he was in 2nd grade. However, it wasn’t until he went away for school that he really discovered God for himself and committed his life. Anthony’s future was uncertain but he saw himself possibly becoming a veterinarian. His father made him join a choir and over time he realized that his voice was a gift. Anthony started his musical career leading worship for churches and Christian conferences. His musical excellence quickly led to multiple albums and him being sought after for different Christian music formats. He built a strong fan base and packed out his schedule with events. Everything was simple in his world, until he decided to audition for the reality television show “The Voice.” Anthony became a contestant on season 2 in 2012 and was mentored by Christina Aguilera. One of the supervising directors of casting who was shocked by his talent asked him, “Why are you 30 years old and I’ve never heard of you?” That question struck a cord deep inside Anthony. He said, “That was the first time I’ve had somebody ‘broader’ than Christian music say something that made me think, Anthony, your ability was not just made for inside the 4 walls of the Church.”

Anthony didn’t make it into the later rounds but something more significant happened within him; his world was expanded. Shortly after his appearance on “The Voice” he received a call from a producer asking him to come back to L.A. to help record guide vocals for CeeLo Green. Anthony took the opportunity and those couple of months led to years of working with high profile artists. He was later hired by “The Voice” as a talent producer to help cast new singers for the show. Anthony found himself split between the two worlds of Hollywood and the Church. He has continued to lead worship for conferences while also continuing to work in Hollywood. Having lived in the confines of the Church for so long, Anthony quickly became aware of his inability to connect and communicate his faith with people outside of the Church. He learned that loving and listening to people who are different from you can actually lead to them learning about Christ and that truth can come from unexpected sources.

REAL LIFE / REAL WORSHIP
Anthony’s new album “Real Life / Real Worship” draws from his Hollywood experience. He says, “Being out in L.A. has made me think more progressively. I want to make sure I’m not compromising my message or my faith, but I also want to speak in terms that connect with people who don’t necessarily live in a church. Half this record is about real life, things everyone goes through, Christian or not. And sometimes it takes that real life to understand the meaning of real worship.”

In his song “I Found You,” Anthony sings about how truth can come from unconventional and unexpected sources with the words, “You never know what could open up your eyes.” He has received much truth from some of his friends in L.A. who would not step foot in a Church. “Somebody to Call Home” is a song that Anthony reflects upon the realization that he’s spent years working on his career but not on building a family. He says, “That is me being completely emo! It’s my honest, real life emotions when it comes to having my own family. At the end of your life, you can’t call a bunch of records ‘home’.” In his song “Never Fail,” Anthony expresses God’s promise that his love will not fail. He says, “That promise has sustained me because I am an emotional artist. I go up and down, and there are moments when I feel like life has got me, like there’s no way God can work all these things together. What I have to realize is that my emotions don’t have intellect. As profound and as real as they feel, they can’t think. So when I have those days when I feel abandoned and like God isn’t there, I have to bounce those emotions off the truth, just to get my equilibrium right. That verse is my equilibrium. This is His promise, and He doesn’t break His promises.”